Rookie Writers: Learn to be Limber

There's No Such Thing as One Size Fits All in Writing

By Amy Barr, crusty old author and Latin teacher

    Recently one of our Lukeion instructors shared a note with me from a parent lamenting how her daughter’s once flowery prose had become, at least to her way of thinking, too clinical in academic assignments. What had happened to her daughters formerly ornate and creative approach to writing? 

    My daughter earned her college degree in design. When she started, she was already well versed in ways to express her own creative style. Every class she took and every project she completed forced her to work in unique ways. What she learned in an oil painting class was not at applicable in a class about logo and package design. Her experience in illustration did not apply directly to her design of a large-scale campus art installation. While she never had a single class on developing her own creative style, her ability to create unique pieces not only persisted through her college program, but it grew by leaps and bounds as she learned new ways of expression.

    The connection between design and writing is simple: learning new forms will not erase old skills but build them impressively. Expanding one’s writing mastery requires us to leave our comfort zone and accomplish new modes and methods. 

    Students who enjoy writing typically come to us with experience in writing ornate or even flowery creative fictional prose. As a writer matures, he or she must leave behind comfortable personal styles. A precise literary analysis will differ from a screen play which will differ from a lab report or a speech about economic models or sustainable agriculture. Yet each assignment, method, and mode will expand one's skill.

If a writer can’t adopt new methods and adapt new skills to different types of writing, one’s skills will eventually stagnate. Even wonderfully creative writers must branch out, broaden understandings, and continue to grow. What are some steps to help in this process?

Appreciate new rules for each different type of writing project.

    Creative writing and academic writing share a few elements, but objectives are as different as mud and muffins. There are new rules and different expectations for academic writing. What worked well in emotive fiction must be set aside when composing a good lab report or analyzing a Latin epic. Many of our best and brightest writers feel the sting of disappointment when they get their first writing score back. “What happened? This is usually my strong suit!” 

Where readers once demanded strong visuals and gushing narratives that tug at the heart, they now demand precision, objective analysis, simplicity, and clarity. Set aside those rococo turns of mood and tense for now. Concision and accuracy must rule. Learn to be limber! There will be times for every kind of writing. Adding new skills will always serve you well.

Celebrate the differences and enjoy the challenge.

Embrace every writing mission and play by the rules given. Students who struggle the most want to change every book report, essay, and research paper back into the writing style that makes them most comfortable. This is like trying to apply the rules of tennis to swimming. Don't critique your research paper using the rules of creative writing. If you are given any writing challenge, follow those rules and do your best to learn new methods and modes.

Embrace feedback as your best path to improvement. 

    Instructors spend long hours giving feedback over writing assignments, and guess what? That feedback is always in the form of recommendations for improvement. Young writers don’t know what they don’t know. Learning how to compose a good thesis, or the rules of citation, or the specifics of quoting sources come only with effort. Instructors spend a lot of time trying to help you iron out mundane wrinkles.  

    Getting feedback is difficult, especially if we feel like we are good writers. If we’ve spent effort doing our best, anything less than a glowing report feels harsh and personal. Anger and disappointment are common responses to what was intended as edification and education. Instructors have exactly one reason to spend hours pouring over your writings: they want you to get better at writing! Never resent those who give feedback.

    All the best authors in the world have had readers and fellow writers edit and give copious feedback before works go to press. This most painful process makes all the difference. It is the finishing polish, the perfect cut, the final touch. Embrace feedback as your best path to improvement. Singers can hear themselves sing. Painters can see how people react to their art. Writers must rely on truthful editors.